The Scottish islands became the goal of German climber Thomas Tauporn and his friend Markus Urbanowski.
The route to our route went through moorland, steep slopes covered with grass. Sometimes we had to rappel down, which was quite scary. Icy water, high waves and a dubious sling were our companions. The first cliff was Aird Uig Area, an abandoned military base of the British Royal Air Force during the Cold War, located in the east of Lewis and Harris, the largest of the Scottish islands. Part of the way we had to go by ferry, then we drove for several kilometers along a lonely road, painted in green and brown colors. Streams, rivers and lakes added to the already breathtaking landscape.
The Atlantic Ocean waves were 15 meters high, crashing against the rocks, and we honestly had no idea where to climb. Like places like the Gorges du Verdon in southern France, the start of the route was difficult to get to, there were no rappel points or anything, so we wrapped our rope around a large rock and headed down. The first attempt was promising. The gneiss was hard, there were plenty of places to set friends, the waves were rare, and in exactly the places we wanted. A seal was watching us, he seemed to like what we were doing. The next day things got a little more difficult.
The Painted Wall lives up to its name. It is located at a height of 30 meters on a steep cliff, with beautiful drawings on it, and it suits our route well. The first ascent of it was made by two of us, and this gave us strength for further ascents. The days on the island of Lewis and Harris flew by unnoticed, we were already well acquainted with how to climb these wild cliffs that hang over an equally wild sea. Each day we climbed different routes, which now make up our top 10 favorites. The most memorable for us was the cave on Mangerst, 30 meters high. Meter-high waves almost washed us off the cliff, we climbed up to escape them. Exciting routes and ascents even we understand that fighting spirit can swing like a pendulum between hope and despair.
Back on the mainland, we drove straight north from the port town of Ullapool to Lochinver, and that same day climbed the Old Man of Stoer, a sea stack. The 60m-high rock pillar in the sea was first climbed in 1966. Getting to the start involves a 90m rappel down a grassy slope, a few metres across the Atlantic Ocean and a climb up the cliff to set up a rope and attach it to a sling, friend and rusty carabiner.
Thomas drew the short straw to let us swim the night before our climb. I think he still enjoys working at the harbour in Lochinver. We waited and watched the 10 metre waves crashing against the rock just where our route started. If you get caught in one of those while swimming, you could easily become seal food. But the sea calmed down a bit and he took action. He took off his gear and swam back and forth in 10 degree water, hiding behind rocks and watching for the next wave.
The Old Man of Stoer had incredible views of the Atlantic Ocean. Unforgettable sensations and interesting adventures – this is the most memorable event of our trip to Scotland. On the last day we went to Reiff – Rubha Coigach, a place whose name was as difficult to pronounce as it was to get there. The guidebook said it would take us 45 minutes to walk, but given that Scotland is very humid in the summer, it took us an hour longer than it said. Most of the time we were stuck in bogs, sometimes the road was blocked by small bays. This difficult route to the goal was worth it. All further climbs made on these Scottish cliffs became our favorite routes!
Фото: Sebastian Mangold
Источник: travelworld.biz